My Classmate the Assassin
by full moon alpha
Summary: Some families have a history in the Military, others in Politics. This young man's family has a history in Contract Killing. But as hard as it is to take life it seems harder to put up with the daily life in high school, even more so when some seem insistent on pushing people's buttons.


Chapter 1

_"Am I a bad person?"_ Nicholas thought, gazing down into the street below. The bright, clear outside contrasted with the somewhat musky walls and carpet of the apartment in which he found himself. The walls were somewhat yellowed, the carpet was matted in places, and the gurgling of pipes was audible at the edge of his hearing. Next to him rested a cardboard box, which contained a guitar case and a small black backpack. In the street below, enjoying the early spring temperatures, was a man greeting a pair of families.

Roger Smith, an attorney of law, greeting the families of Dennis Adams and Richard Haley. Dennis and Richard had just finished a case leveling charges of attempted rape against them, and were greeting the man who had accomplished this. Roger was fairly distinctive on the street, his charcoal gray suit was clearly well made and didn't discomfort him even in a bright day. His black tie was secured by the jacket, unlike the plastic red ribbon that fluttered gently on a street sign near Roger.

But while the group chatted and spread congratulations Nicholas let the existential questions plague his mind. Every person wrestles with such questions, especially the edgier members of his age group. He was faintly amused by the '_Yeah but I'm different_' argument most of those wannabe goth kids were prone to offer. But when the worst thing that they have to heir name is sneaking cigarettes from their parents Nicholas just felt amusement.

The time had come. Nicholas shifted his attention from matters of spirit to matters of body. His breathing was still steady, each inhale and exhale matched its predecessor and was a template for the inhale or exhale that followed. His heart rate was smooth and calm, its beat no faster that it would be if he was sitting at home in front of the television. But it was his right index finger that was where the magic happened.

Three diminutive bones, each connected to the other with equally diminutive muscles and tendons. With a smooth motion that would have not looked out of place in the movements of a snake the small digit flexed. It constricted until it came to a final obstacle, one last bit of resistance to Nicholas completing his task here. Just then Richard moved into a more advantageous position. With a smile, Nicholas's finger finished its constriction and overcame its last obstacle.

In a split moment a process occurred, a process that Nicholas found charming and deeply enjoyable. As his finger finished its squeeze a pin with a slightly piercing point launched forward, stabbing into the flat, round base of a brass jacket, a small package of primer ignited a mass of propellant, and the exploding propellant launched a tapered piece of metal.

The suppressor at the end of Nicholas's rifle diffused the explosive air pressure and made the sound of the bullet launching forward to clip Richard's right ear and tear into Roger's brain. By the time the lawyer's body hit the ground Nicholas had already stowed the rifle into the foam interior of the case. The box the case and backpack was then closed and marked.

"_Two minutes."_ Nicholas thought, carrying the box down to floor three where a move was just wrapping up. Nicholas was dressed in the uniform used by the moving company being employed, and his arrival was just in time to load the last boxes, including his, into the truck to be taken to the new location.

"_Four minutes and twenty seconds."_ Nicholas thought as he read his stopwatch, sitting in the truck. By now police would be starting to arrive on the scene, but they would need more time to properly investigate. The driver looked over at Nicholas from time to time, the chit chat being fairly light and sporadic as they drove to a nearby neighborhood.

"_Sixteen minutes and forty seconds."_ Nicholas thought as the truck pulled up to a nondescript house in a friendly suburb, the overall feeling of the area being cheerful and pleasant. Nicholas, still with a convincing moving company employee disguise, took a number of boxes inside. His box was a part of those he took in, which was marked by a small number of black marker marks on the corners and dipped out of sight into a bathroom.

"_Eighteen minutes and fifteen seconds."_ Nicholas thought as he began to weave through the spaces between the buildings away from the house he arrived at. It would be at least an hour before anyone noticed that Nicholas was gone, and another few minutes before the marked box was found in the bathroom.

"_Twenty minutes._" Nicholas thought as he walked down the street away from the house he had arrived at. The plan had gone off without a hitch. An apartment that someone was moving from with a clear line of sight to where the attorney was going to be. A uniform of the company being used for that person's move was employed as a disguise. A second disguise was now employed. A purple t-shirt of the local high school with black shorts, white sneakers, and the guitar case. By now actual investigators would be on the scene and, potentially, be figuring out from where the shot was fired.

The most important part of the assassination was getting away without having anyone able to recognize him. There was a group of men across the street that Nicholas could kill in less than five seconds, but as it was he was getting away with murder with great ease. He looked like a random high schooler, more like a band member with his guitar case.

Nicholas eventually found himself at his van. A rather simple vehicle that was a few years old. It was able to blend in with the various SUVs and cars it found itself among, not too new and not too large. A fitting vehicle to find in the possession of a teenager. With his rifle in the back and his keys in the ignition Nicholas looked at his watch for a moment.

"Twenty five minutes." He said. It would be hours before police narrowed down which window he had fired from, not long after that they would learn of the apartment building's most recently lost tenant, another hour or so to track the guy down, and maybe an hour on top of all of that to piece together that the assassin was disguised as a mover. That along with the fake name, spray tan, false stubble, temporary hair dye, and his already nondescript appearance made tracking or identifying him next to impossible. He would be laying low for the immediate future just to make sure that there was no way to find him, but first he had to take care of two additional loose ends then report in to his client.

It was early evening when Nicholas reached a well to do estate, the gate blocking him for a brief moment before he was allowed access, where his employer lived. The doorman gave him a momentary dirty look to the young man's simple attire, which he answered with flicking a knife towards the man's head and clipping his cheek. While the man reeled, offended that this little brat would attack him like this, Nicholas retrieved his knife in his passing.

The lounge upstairs was somewhat dark, illuminated by a cheery fire roaring in the fireplace. Two armchairs around the fireplace cast stark shadows but and the somewhat dark color of the walls and carpet did little to dampen the feeling of comfort that this room held. A table between the two chairs held a decanter of a brown liquor next to a six pack of soda, an empty glass, and a small bucket of ice with a scoop.

The lone figure sitting in one of the chairs was holding a small glass of the liquor with some ice cubes floating about, he was dressed casually in some pajamas. He was just entering his forties but there was a bit of greying touching his light brown hair and beard, his gaze was locked on some point in the fire but shifted to Nicholas as the younger man approached. The pensive look gave way to a friendly recognition.

"Nicholas. Good to see you. I trust that your errands didn't give you too much trouble." The older man said, gesturing to the other chair and sodas.

"Of course not Fredrick, your daughter will not have to worry about her assailants any longer." Nicholas said, pulling a soda from the six pack and scooping some ice into the empty glass. "You're definitely going to have suspicion on you, that lawer's demise is bound to cause quite a stir and the fact that your daughter was involved in his last case will not go unnoticed." The hiss and snap of the soda can opening was pleasing, almost as much as the low sizzle of the carbonation bubbling up as he poured.

"I know, but officially I am returning from a business trip in Dubai early tomorrow morning. Not the best alibi but one that has a paper trail, body double, and a laptop that clearly can be tracked as being in Dubai over the last couple days." Fredrick said, he knew that he would have to be careful for a time. But this was not the first time Nicholas had run errands for him.

"Just be careful, I would be sad if I was deprived of such a prolific source of income." Nicholas said, taking a sip of his soda. The popping bubbles tickling his face through the thin layer of tanning oil.

"Nice to see that I'm so valued." Fredrick said dryly, but with a small smile. Nicholas didn't show it but he would count Fredrick as a friend. "But it brings me to the next point of discussion. Sanderson Academy."

"Yes. I still marvel at the fact that so many of your friends were willing to pool money to hire me as a bodyguard." Nicholas said, swilling the soda in his glass to get the ice to cool the flavorful liquid. "But I never say no to a profitable job, and I can keep working while I'm there."

"And the fact that there are almost four times as many girls as boys there." Fredrick said with a smirk.

"Has nothing to do with it." Nicholas said. Fredrick knew that Nicholas didn't care for such matters in the slightest. He cared for money and violence, he wanted to have money to spend and he wanted to commit violence. He was a bit concerning in that regard but he was manageable and those classmates he was assigned to protect would not come to any harm while he was there.

"I know. You're no fun to tease." Fredrick said, taking a sip.

"And you're not funny." Nicholas replied. Fredrick gave a small scoff then handed the younger man a manila envelope.

"The information you need, be there on Monday at eight." Fredrick said, leaning back into his armchair. He was content with the world despite the violence he loosed on three people today.

Nicholas drained the glass, grabbed the rest of the six pack and departed. The doorman now had a bandage on his cheek and glared at Nicholas as he passed, but was ignored by the teen. In his van he opened the envelope and reviewed the information. He would be a freshman at Sanderson in a few days, but until then he would relax and simply enjoy his down time. Nicholas returned to the modest house his family owned in the city, the sound of the door shutting behind him echoing loudly in the empty house.

The house itself was nothing notable. Bare white dominating the walls and tile floors, simple tan carpet, and furnishings that were basic at best. He was the only one in the house, his family rarely gathering, and he made use of that fact. He microwaved a freezer meal and ate in silence, making sure that he left no mess. His shower was frankly the best part of the evening, as the fake tan was beginning to irk him. As the cheap tanning oil was rinsed from his skin and the black dye left his hair he relaxed, letting the warm water ease his body.

His shower left him relaxed and ready for sleep, and the soft queen sized bed seemed to beckon the same. His body sank into the mattress just a little but was still supported comfortably. Within minutes he felt sleep begin to encroach upon his consciousness, but he returned to his thought from earlier in his last moment of awareness.

"_Am I a bad Person?"_


End file.
